500 Strong was part of a much larger show Flesh After Fifty, conceived by Professor Martha Hickey and curator Jane Scott as a way to address what Professor Jacqueline Milner calls “the invisibility of older women and the gendered shame attached to ageing.” I describe the  actions of the 474 women who stood naked in front of me  to be photographed as -

Bravery, a bold step towards self-awareness and acceptance and rebellion, taking a personal stand against prevailing conventions of female behaviour and representation.

Ponch Hawkes